Reaching for the sky
by Melon bubbletea
Summary: Tsuna finally does the unthinkable: he splits up the Vongola family. What does this mean for the mafia world? OCs abound,but that's alright, I hope. Training for a battle is always fun.
1. Chapter 1

So, in replacement of the story "Vongola" or whatever it was, I decided to make this one. Kinda... you know... lol. interesting? Imma go MIA in a few days... hope I can upload the next chapter or so.

* * *

><p>The plot's timeline is after the Shimon arc, and the guardians are college age right now. The guardians are mostly all sophomores in college; Hibari is a sophomore as well, seeing as he should be a senior with Ryohei, but... he loves his school too much. This is probably... say, 5-6 years after the Shimon arc. Tsuna stepped forward to become the mafia boss, and they all gained some level of maturity, the most noticeable is Lambo, who is the only one in high school. Ryohei does pursue boxing to some extent, and Yamamoto follows his baseball dream in college too.<p>

* * *

><p>"What?" I shouted, leaping out of my seat behind my desk in my dorm room, turning towards the suit-clad man at the door. "The Vongola did WHAT?"<p>

The messenger breathed deeply, preparing for the worst. "The Vongola disbanded. Permanently. It became official an hour ago," he said, flicking a piece of dust from his coat collar.

"Crap, I muttered, feeling my knees buckle out from underneath me. "Dammit... DAMMIT!" I roared. Gritting my teeth, I pounded my fist onto the hardwood desk. "Why... kosou." I locked eyes with the messenger, and told him to go. "You... I expect that Tsuna went into hiding after this... Hmph. Find that man, and tell him that the Tellino family boss wants to see him as soon as possible." Like a wraith, the man disappeared, fading into the shadows.

As for me, I was going to speak to the guardians myself.

* * *

><p>(flashback to high school.)<p>

I remember when I first me Tsunayoshi Sawada, back in high school. He was scrawny and short, with a giant head of spiky brown hair. The aura he exuded was simply described: No-good; loser. Sometimes, he wore that wierd dual ring thing on his finger; other days he would wear a simpler ring, fashioned akin to a class ring. Funny, I always thought, from the first moment that I saw him in my precal class, that I'd always thought he was a loser, so how did he get a class ring? We never spoke to each other until the teacher assigned a partner project. I was sick that day, Tsuna was... um... "out" that day, so I didn't have a choice, and I was partnered up with him the next day. (more like stuck)

"So... do you know how to do this?" I asked, gesturing to the trigonometry problems.

"Um...," he said softly. "Maybe?"

Sighing heavily, I confronted him sternly. "Look, either you know it or you don't. There isn't any maybe in this. Do you know the material?"

"Um... N-no..."

"What do you have in this class?" I asked, flicking my eyes upwards to his face. The cheeks were tinged slightly pink, and were turning redder. He said nothing.

"Are you passing?"

Still nothing.

_-ding, ding, ding, ding-_ Crap. The bell... already?

"Well, stupid Tsuna, since we efficiently wasted all our time in class today, looks like I'm going to your place to finish it up. It's due tomorrow, so, we have to get serious and do the work. See you after school, kay?" With that, I was out the classroom door, leaving a spluttering Tsuna to figure out what I just said.

* * *

><p>5:00 p.m., and I was still looking for his house. Man... so stupid. I was so stupid. I didn't even ask for his address, and I told him that I was going to his house. "Well," I sighed resignedly. "He's got to live somewhere around here..."<p>

"Eeeeeeeeyaaaaaaaaaaah!" A sharp shriek pierced the air, and a kid in a cow suit flew out the window of a nearby house. "Lambo!" a voice cried; a figure appeared at the window, staring in shock as the child turned into a twinkle in the sky.

"Tsuna...?" I breathed.

"Well," a voice said from behind the figure in the window. "If you love that stupid cow so much, the go after him." _THWACK! _Tsuna was sent flying out the window, like the person behind him booted him out. He flew like a bird for a few seconds, but gravity caught up with him. Plummeting to the earth, he crashed into something that obstructed his descent to the ground... me.

"Yeeeowch! Watch it!" I yelped, rubbing my now tender backside. "Geez, Tsuna, does this happen every day at your house?"

"Hiiiiiiiie! I fell on Tatsuki? Sorry! Gomenasai!" the teen bowed in front of me, so much so that he broke the skin on his forehead with the rough pavement.

"You really are No-good Tsuna."

"What?" A baby appeared, smacking Tsuna's face back to the road when he looked up. There was just no explaining it, I guess. Tsuna was... wierd... almost as wierd as the baby in a suit that made him taste asphalt just now.

"Who are you?" I asked the baby, still slightly shocked that this toddler could talk, not to mention that he could pack a hefty punch.

"I'm Reborn, No-good Tsuna's hitman tutor." A cartoon chameleon leapt from the brim of his fedora, transforming into a gun. The infant, smirking, then pointed the gun at my forehead. "This isn't a toy," he said, perfectly calm with what he was doing.

I sat, butt still on the pavement. Judging by the circumstances, if I tried to run, the baby would kill me. If I said nothing, it probably would piss him off, and he would kill me. If it were fun for him, he would kill me. So, I did what I could. I blinked. "Okay. Cool." (not really. I was scared like you won't believe.)

The smirk on Reborn's face grew to a smile. "I like you. Want to join the mafia?"

"Reborn! You can't just make my classmates join the mafia like that!" Tsuna shouted, only to be hit in the face by a chameleon-slipper. As he recoiled from the blow, his class ring... thing rolled to a stop in front of me. "Um... sure, Reborn. Sounds fun, I guess," I said hesitantly, then picked up the ring. I was about to hand it back to the brown-haired teen, but he made no attempt to take it back from me; instead, he stared at it in my hand, mouth agape. "No... is that even possible, Reborn?"

"I don't know, Tsuna. Maybe... it could be possible. Your ring is a sky ring, after all, so the fact that she has a sky flame could only mean one thing..." His voice trailed off, as he stared at my hand as well, or more precisely, the ring that I was holding.

What was sos weird? I turned my eyes to what they were looking at, and saw a small orange flame flickering out of the jewel on the ring. Reflexively, I dropped it on the ground, and the tiny tongue of fire died as soon as it left my hand. Fire. On a ring. In my hand. Wait... it didn't hurt me... I think I need to check my sanity.

"Just what is this?" I asked, picking the ring up with my thumb and forefinger. Was it really a class ring? Probably not, because it said "Vongola" on it, but that wasn't the name of the school we went to... in fact, I had never heard of that school before. "Vongola," I said, looking at Tsuna, "What school is that?"

"It's the mafia that No-good Tsuna is part of," Reborn replied, jumping onto my shoulder. "Since you have sky flames, like Tsuna, you're fit to be boss of your own family."

"Mafia boss? Oh... sweet!" Sounded even better than the deal that he gave me earlier. I thought that I was just going to be a lackey or something. But being a boss of my own family... even better!

Reborn smiled, patting my head. "Okay. What do you want to name your family? Actually," He said, staring thoughtfully into the distance. "Your family could be the Tellino family."

"Tellino? Meaning...?"

"Little brother. You're going to be allied with the Vongola, and since your family is... new, you're a little brother to them. Tsuna here," he gestured to the teen, "is going to take you under his wing. He's the tenth boss of the family, one of the most powerful mafias in the world. The blood of the Vongola runs through him, and he is going to be the ally thats going to put you at the top of the mafia food chain."

This kid... this loser... was a mafia boss? Wow... looks can be decieving. "Mafia... as in?"

"Technically, he uses the mafia to protect his family."

"Reborn! You weren't supposed to tell her any of that!" Tsuna stood bolt upright, sweating slightly.

"Stupid Tsuna. She's your ally now. You have to get family rings made for her, as well as the guardians she chooses. As Vongola mafia boss, that is your current assignment."

Assignment. Snap. "Tsuna! Our partner project! It's due tomorrow!"

He glanced at the sky, seeing the setting sun. "Hiiiiie! Its getting dark already!" I had never heard a boy make that noise, much less a man.

"Juudaime!" One of two (or three) far away figures called, waving as they approached. "Hey, boss! Whatcha doin?"

Oh... buddha. I could tell that voice anywhere, much to my dismay. That raspy, throaty voice belonged to the super loud, super obnoxious, silver-haired, emo-looking teen in my history class. Ugh... Gokudera Hayato.

"Gokudera!" Tsuna shouted back, waving. I mentally blanched. Why was he calling _him,_ of all people, over? "Yamamoto!" he said, grinning as Gokudera came forward with a tall, athletic looking teen; this black haired kid wore a grin, plastered wide on his face. A blonde baby was perched on his shoulder, wearing army cameo, a blue pacifier hanging from his neck.

"Tatsuki," Reborn said, gesturing to the other baby, "this is Colonello. He's going to be your hitman tutor. Yamamoto here, our rain guardian, is your go to guy if you have any questions, in case Tsuna is busy. I assume that you know who Hayato is?" Reborn looked at me, smirking. "Welcome to the mafia world."

* * *

><p>Now that I thought it over, 4 years ago wasn't that far back in the past. I was a sophomore in college now, with most of my family members in college too.<p>

Shinji- A year or so older. Rain guardian. Cynical, sarcastic, and kinda mean to me... He's comes off as brash, but is nice when you get to know him... sometimes. Uses a sword... sheathed, to hit me.

Isabella- Transferred to Japan from somewhere else in Asia... Cloud guardian. My age... actually a couple months younger. Ahaha... one of my closest friends. She's cool. :D Kusarigama, whatever those are.

Theresa- transferred to Japan from America. Storm guardian. Practically my sister. Just give her a blade, and she's set. (Don't give her a blade unless you want something to die. :3 )

Kanade- My own little sister. Thunder guardian. Chooses to have no weapon... because she doesn't know how to use one.

A.J.- Mist guardian. Asian, and taller than me. Tennis rackets are deadly. :) Kawaii.

Sam- super energetic sun guardian! Hangs out with Shinji alot. She likes to hit me more than Shinji does. In her hands, probably anything is a weapon...

I had stayed in touch with them, even though we went our separate ways after high school. I stayed in touch with Yamamoto and Colonello too, but for some reason, I lost contact with Yamamoto, much to my dismay. I wanted to find him, and I knew I probably could, but Colonello thought it was a bad idea.

"You shouldn't, kora. Reborn or Tsuna may have sent him off on a mission, so its dangerous to attempt to contact him, kora."

That was a week after I couldn't contact him. It had been several months since then, and now, I was seriously worried. He usually asked me what was going on with the Tellino family every couple or days or so, but now, there was nothing. Nobody could get a hold of any of the guardians.

"Augh... Stupid Tsuna!" I growled. "Why?"

Why split up the Vongola family?

* * *

><p>UUUUUURRRRGHHHHH! I'm going MIA for a month, but I'll keep writing!<p>

This idea came up when Tsuna shouted out to Giotto that he would -probably- split up the Vongola under certain conditions, so there IS a possibility that he would, okay?

Reviews= motivation= updates!

Tatsuki here. Mmmm... I could use some OCs... there are some open spots for Sky, Storm, Sun, and Rain! You can put some descriptions in the reviews! They'll make their debut soon. :) Review? You can get your own OC in here!


	2. Now for the fun to begin

Mwahahahaaaaa. I really am here, MIA, but at a coffeeshop, where there is free internet, not in the middle of nowhere that just so happens to have an internet connection.

BY THE WAY: a physical description of myself (OC) Yeah, my OC is modeled after me, except she can do things I cant.

Yamato Tatsuki, currently in the story, is around 17-18. I'm kinda tall (5'9" is tall, right?), with straight-ish black/dark brown hair with a side part/bangs thing. I guess I'm kinda average of build. Japanese, (even though I'm not...). Uses Sais, that when filled with sky flames, can function as dirks. My favorite drink as of right now... that I currently crave, lol, is a honeydew (melon) tapioca drink... from dulce tapioca, because it doesn't exist where I am. I can be usually seen in a regular t-shirt, with dark jeans and Vans.

So, since I posted about myself, I should talk about my guardian's looks as well, shouldn't I? Last names are... hidden, to reserve privacy.

Isabella- asian. 5' something. Shorter than me by a couple of inches, so 5'4"? Fair skinned, with long hair. -she calls it long, but whatever.- Skinny, but her strength comes from who knows where. That means her punches hurt, people. One of my best friends. :) Cloud. Uses a double tipped spear.

Theresa- Caucasian. 5' something... Taller than Isabella, shorter than me. Oh, where to begin. Blonde, and fun to be around. The only thing I remember prominently seeing her in at school in is a red Fullmetal Alchemist jacket. Storm. Uses whatever blades are available.

AJ- Asian, and his hairstyle makes him taller than me... or is he just plain taller than me? Whatever. Cute, babyfaced... lol. Tanned because he plays tennis. So good, he turned it into a weapon. Mist.

Shinji- Asian. 5'10"? Whatever. Dark hair, until he bleaches it -more like turns it orange- Wears various anime shirts, as well as video game shirts he gets from Cons. He enjoys calling me stupid and useless... even though I'm the sky. Rain, only because he enjoys baseball like Yamamoto, and is very lax... uses a sword, I guess.

Sam- Asian. A girl, even though she's manly, lol. I dunno what she wears... I don't see her much, but when I do, she tackles me and such, or punches me, or rams into me so that I crash into whoever is behind me. I dont remember if she's shorter than me... but whatever. Sun. She doesn't need a weapon... she can just use her fists.

Kanade- my sister, aka the counter part of me. -Dragon spirit, play a song... kinda opposites. No? Oh well.- 5', even though she's only 6 years younger than me... Wears t-shirts and short shorts... and Vans (copycat). Thunder. Chooses no weapon (because she cant really use one anyway, lol.) Probably not going to show up much... She's about as useful as 5 year old Lambo.

* * *

><p>People Ive chosen so far!<p>

Sara Blake- Ahaha... You were the only one who truly reviewed twice, lol. And, to make room... you were the only one who didn't specifically ask to be a guardian, and were more flexible. You'll be in the story for sure! Christian strife would like to be paired with you.

Ryuuji Jackson- Ah... Sky. You get the eagle as you animal, as you wished. Your character really caught my eye. Man... That would be pretty interesting, to say the least.

Virgil di valeri- Storm. Another lengthy review, so I know what the character is supposed to be like.

Christian Strife- I'm hope to include you at one point, as the boss of a division of the Granchio family, as Xanxus is leader of the Varia, if that's okay with you.

* * *

><p>Just so you guys know, these people are the "OCs" that were picked before I started this story. Granchio family.<p>

Andrew- Asian, pretty much a Chinese version of Hibari, but with a Bieber cut. (jk, Andreww.) He's 5'9", and uses a multitude of weapons. Usually seen in a shirt, jeans, sneakers, and a gray/white striped hooded jacket. (yes, I do notice that.) Cloud.

Kellie- Asian. Short and sweet. Usually seen in a shirt and shorts (basketball shorts?), and a navy blue hooded jacket. Can sit like L, which is quite a feat. Mist. I don't know what weapon she uses...

Shawn- Caucasian. Like Lambo, except mature. I can picture him using a bison as his animal... and a bonestaff... ahaha. Thunder.

When I'm a sophomore in college (where the story takes place, other than the flashbacks), they're seniors in high school. (Lambo is a junior...)

* * *

><p>It only makes sense to locate the youngest member of the Vongola first: Lambo Bovino. Still in high school, he made no attempt to conceal his presence, joining I-pin in delivering ramen. An appointment with him would be simple enough to arrange: just order some ramen, and get a thunder guardian in the process.<p>

"Hey, Isabella! We're getting ramen! What kind do you want?"

"What do they have?" She asked, scanning countless articles on her laptop, the glare from the computer screen reflected in her eyes.

"Ummm... they have pork, beef, chicken, miso, seafood... plum? Want plum? Oooh! They have Natto flavor too? Do you want to try that?"

"No thanks. I'll take miso." She laughed, turning away from her work. "Of course you would ask me to try natto-flavored ramen. Where are you ordering from?"

"Gyoza Gyuudon ramen."

"Gyoza... Gyuudon?"

I cocked an eyebrow at my second in command, also my dorm roomie. "Something wrong with the name, or do you want to change your order to plum?"

"Miso is fine. Wouldn't you order beef ramen then, with a steamed bun? It seems to be their specialty."

"Thats not the point, and you know it. I was going to get beef ramen anyway." I paused, scanning the menu. "Do you think we need to invite Aj over for ramen? Our target may feel... intimidated? I don't know..."

"Nah," she said over her shoulder, having turned back to her computer. "We're okay as is."

"Mkay." I ordered the ramen via smartphone, then pocketed the device.

"So...," I said expectantly, poking Isabella in the back. "Anything new?"

"Barely anything. Other than news of Ryohei heading to America for a boxing match in Vegas, we only have one other lead... this." She pulled up a file, and a photo taken by a security camera.

"Who is that?"

"I think... it could be Gokudera... It seems he's in Italy. Theresa found this while scanning security footage of the Cafe Tempesta."

"Storm Cafe? So there would be a Cafe Cielo, wouldn't there?"

"Probably... and that would be mafia operated, too, like this one."

"Hmmm... well... we'll head there next. Contact... contact Sara, and arrange for 5 tickets."

"Five? To get Gokudera? Isn't that a bit much?" She looked at me, curious.

"Nah..." I glanced at the Vongola rings sitting on my own desk. "Who knows if the Hurricane bomber chooses to resist."

"Who's going? You, me," Isabella's voice trailed off.

"Aj, Theresa, and Colonello." I finished.

"Why Colonello?" She asked, closing her laptop. "I thought you would take Kanade or Shinji."

"Because-"

_-ding, dong-_

"Ah! Ramen's here!" I opened the door, seeing Lambo in his Gyoza Gyuudon uniform, carrying a hefty metal box.

"Thank you. This is a little heavy." He lifted it onto a chair, and scanned the order form. "Who's Tatsuki?"

"Me," I responded, taking the proffered bowl, watching as Isabella took her bowl of miso ramen and set it on her desk.

"That's ¥1850 for both bowls."

I broke apart a pair of bamboo chopsticks, then placed them on the covered bowl. "Oh, Okay. Sounds reasonable." I doled out the money, then remarked offhandedly, "Do you have Vongola in your seafood ramen, by any chance?"

"Vongola...? What's that? Doesn't ring a bell, so probably not..." He closed his ramen carrier, then moved to leave the dorm room. "Thanks for ordering from Gyoza gyuudon ramen! Have a nice day!"

Hmm... it was _THAT _way, then...

* * *

><p>-flashback... of sorts-<p>

Colonello stopped me before I left the room, calling my name. "Tatsuki... remember. There is a chance, however slight, that Tsuna wiped his guardians' memories of the Vongola to further 'protect' them. The only thing you can do is try to make them remember, no matter what, kora!"

Reborn stood, sliding his chair back. "You need to make their bodies remember. Tsuna can wipe their memories, but what they've experienced is engraved into every fiber of their bodies. Muscle memory is the key."

"Reborn's right, kora! Theres a small chance he wiped at least one, but the chances that he wiped all of them is even slimmer. Be careful not to go too far, Kora! Who knows what could happen..."

* * *

><p>Okay... here goes nothing! Phase two!<p>

-_plan B. Start.-_

I nodded to Isabella, giving the signal to begin plan B. She opened her laptop, and pressed enter, starting up the program, just as Lambo began to open the door to leave.

"ROMEOOOOO!" A voice roared across the room, and a hologram of Bianchi stepped forward, wielding Poison Sakura mochi. She stepped forward slowly, nearing the quaking delivery boy.

"Crap... she's transparent. Oh well. It seems to be working, anyway."

Lambo had gone completely pale, his pallid skin shockingly white against his black hair. His eyes were wide open, unseeing, as he shivered against the doorframe. "That voice...," he muttered to himself. "That voice... why am I so scared of that voice? Where have I heard that voice before?"

Ah... Reborn and Colonello were right. If Lambo didn't remember Bianchi... then...

"Lambo?" I addressed him, bringing forward a pair of yellow cow horns. "Do you remember these?"

He stared at me blankly, then continued to babble to himself. "That voice... that voice..."

I stepped back, and regarded the prone, huddled figure. "I think that was a bit much, don't you?"

"A little," Isabella agreed, watching as the young Vongola began to foam at the mouth. "Looks like he needs a straight jacket."

"Maybe." I called up the dorm security, telling them that a boy had collapsed in our room, and probably needed to go to a hospital now, for trauma. Maybe a mental hospital, but I wasn't so sure.

"Hey, Isabella... what do we do with his ring?"

"You're the boss... you do what you want with it."

"I guess I'll hang onto it... Like I can do something with it." I tossed the bovine horns onto my desk, watching as security ushered the delivery boy out. Just another day in the dorms.

"So... Next time is Gokudera, right?"

"Yup. Someone named Sara Blake got us a private plane, and we're headed over to Italy next week." She began to print out directions, and tickets.

"Sounds fun... Who's going to be there, other than Sara Blake?"

"It seems the Granchio family is coming to meet us... their boss, Ryuuji, and the leader of their assassination squad, Christian, is going to escort us to their headquarters."

"Ah! Ryuuji! I remember him!"

* * *

><p>Thats all for now, because my fingers are tired, and I want to go to sleep now. I supposedly just made more room, didn't I? Ah... crap.<p>

Hey, its Tatsuki here, from being MIA! Wahahaha... so... whats going on right now? I want to push out more chapters, but this one was supposed to have Hayato in it... but I didn't write it yet. Busy busy busyyy, with such a poor internet connection... whatever. Not like you guys care, ahaha.

What does this mean for the OCs? Since Christian is leader of his own division, he needs people to back him up. Here's his profile:

* * *

><p>Awesome idea with the OC!You rock and since I always wanted to be part of a<br>story I guess I'll give it a shot.

By the way, since I am a curious little bugger (but I know you love me either  
>way *wink*) I took a peak at the other reviews to see what they wrote and,from<br>what I saw, the most interesting OC were Virgil di Valieri(I believe he is  
>suited for Cloud) Ryuuji Jackson (he CAN be suited for Sky but it gives a more<br>Rain vibe to me) Kaitlynn "Lynn" Tsukiko (More Storm than Sky for certain -  
>just don't make her angsty, please!) and Sara Blake.<p>

Especially Sara Blake - the reviewer who created her did an amazing job with  
>this OC as I actually fell in love with the character -Sara Blake should<br>DEFINITIVELY be used in the story.

It's just so..easy to imagine her and the reviewer even offered a perfect  
>explanation as to how the OC came to be involved into the story without<br>altering your original plot -brilliant I say.

As for her flame she should be either Mist or Cloud - she just has the feel  
>for these flames considering her history and personality.<p>

I mean she is perfectly suited for either of those options considering she is  
>a blend of almost opposite characteristics just like the Mist and Cloud<br>guardians that appear throughout the canon manga/ anime series- though I think  
>she is more MIST like since she hide her dark side from the world only showing<br>the easygoing, saracstic, friendly and detectivey facade to the world, like an  
>illusion.<p>

She seems friendly but guarded(because of her past), smart and sarcastic but  
>easy going, level headed but still easily getting into troubles because of her<br>curiosity (like a cat - that's because her detective senses won't let her  
>leave any mystery unsolved I believe) and though kindhearted most of the time<br>she can be manipulative and cold in certain situations(she would do ANYTHING  
>to fulfill her revenge).<p>

You can even make a subplot of how Tatsuki manages to make Sara forget about  
>her need for revenge as their friendship deepens while looking for Tsuna. I<br>imagine Tatsuki and Sara like the perfect friend/rivals where Tatsuki is the  
>Light and Sara the Dark -yes, quite cliche in the anime fandom but hey, if it<br>works it works. The first example that cames to mind to describe this kind of  
>relationship is the friendship between Naruto and Sasuke – Tatsuki is like a<br>more smart Naruto, able to inspire people with her words while Sara is like a  
>less obsessed and much more friendly, hyper Sasuke that can't go on with her<br>life until she brings closure to the death of her parents. It's perfect!

Also, and sorry to the real Sara if this is against her wishes, but Sara the  
>OC shouldn't be officially part of a Mafia Familly. She is a detective, a very<br>good one in fact, and needs to be able to move freely and as such she can't  
>be tied to only one family. She has connection with the police, FBI, Mafia,<br>and other shady organization from where she gets information that helps her  
>solve cases – she can't afford to show a deep loyalty to one side because if<br>her identity as Aya were to be discovered she will be always under suspicion  
>of covering for her family in her investigations. She should be neutral- a<br>wild card of sort- ally to many people/Mafia families/organizations but member  
>of none.<p>

Now though enough with my fanboy obsession of Sara – it is time I describe  
>you the OC inspired by my lovely person. I'm sure you'll like it *confident<br>smile*

NAME: Christian Strife

AGE: One-two years older than Tatsuki and Sara

APPEARENCE: Shaggy brown hair, baby-blue eyes (which reminds me-Sara should  
>have sapphire or amethyst eyes – green is not that suited for how I imagine<br>her to be, tall with an athletic body – think Cloud from Final Fantasy with  
>brown hair.<p>

FLAME TYPE: Sky

WEAPON: a gunblade (google it if you don't know how it looks like

BOX WEAPON: An white tiger

PERSONALITY: Cocky though he can back up his words, overconfident in his  
>abilities(which sometimes causes him to take on more than he can handle),<br>friendly, cares deeply about his friends, stubborn, soccer obsessed,  
>forgiving, witty, loves to tease the ones close to him, sometimes childish and<br>a flirt, his success with girls causing him to be a playboy of sorts ('what?  
>She knew it wasn't anything serious when she agreed to go out with me – I<br>warned her from the start that I will break up with her as soon as another  
>girl catches my eye and she still wanted to try going out' – that is the<br>kind of thing he'll say.

HISTORY: His father was Zacharias Strife, the Mafia Head of the Strife family  
>and his mother the American model Stella Miller who later abandoned him and<br>his father in order to pursue her modeling career – thus the reason he isn't  
>serious with girls.<p>

He grew as a young master in a wealthy environment with servants ready to  
>fulfill his every request, thus he can be conceited at times. He was a bully<br>and a snobbish person before he met Tatsuki who was the first girl to ever  
>turn him down and also the first one to point the many bad aspects of his<br>personality. After he and Tatsuki get into a dangerous situation(here you come  
>up with something as I'm not good with these kind of things) from which they<br>barely escape alive he started to see the wrongness of his ways and decided to  
>reform himself until he become how he is today (like I described him in<br>PERSONALITY). He came to see Tatsuki as his younger sister along the years and  
>is very protective of her believing that no one is good enough for his little<br>sister ( chasing her more dangerous suitors is one of the few things that  
>causes him to drop his cocky facade and be serious). Beside being in the Mafia<br>and studying in college he also works as a world known model – surpassing  
>even his mother with which he doesn't talks to. When Tatsuki ask for his<br>help in finding Tsuna he agrees to and instantly falls in love with Sara upon  
>meeting her though Sara doesn't give him the time of the day considering him,<br>and rightly so, a playboy who is not serious in his declaration. Chris is  
>however serious and continues to pursue Sara in order to win her heart just<br>as her pain filled eyes stole his own heart. It doesn't help that the more he  
>gets to know the girl the more smitten with her he becomes(and yes, I want<br>Chris to be paired with Sara – I saw that another reviewer requested to be  
>paired with Tatsuki so why should I also not request a pairing?)<p>

Well, that's it...for now*smirk*

* * *

><p>Know this: that these characters are considered MINOR, so they wont show up until like, the final battle, or something.<p>

I still have an opening for the sun guardian of the Granchio family, so yes!

This chapter was too long, and my fingers are sore... :) That means I love you guys in language.

Tatsuki... signing off until I can feel my fingers again.

Reviews=motivation=updates. Thanks for all the updates, guys!


	3. Hungry hungry caribou

Yay! Going home in a couple hours! But the downside is, airplane food sucks. And... if it isn't obvious, I went to the philippines. Went to Italy last year, but whatever. You don't really care about this part anyway. T.T I'll get on with it, if thats all right with you.

Oh, and bythewayy, I've filled in all the remaining OCs myself... or so I hope. I need one more SUN oc to round off the 40 characters. And yes, there are going to be 40 characters present, at some point or another, in this story. They will show up in at least one chapter.

* * *

><p>I groaned, reclining in the worn seat of the Boeng 747. The ground began to inch by as the plane taxied to the runway. Ugh... it smelled funky in here, like fish mixed with ozone, but I had to cope, as much as Colonello and my other guardians had to. Just yesterday, Ryuuji flaunted his private plane collection over the phone.<p>

* * *

><p>"Oh sure, the Granchio's got about 100 planes running..."<p>

"Great! Could you send us one? Asap?"

"I would if I could, Tatsuki... but they're not mine." Sincere regret seemed to creep into his voice... I think. "They're my father's, since he's still the ninth boss. Can't help you there..."

I ground my teeth, feeling my nails bite into my palm. "Well then, Mr. Heir-to-the-Granchio-throne, can't you at least help us? Me and my guardians have college tuition to pay for. How on earth are we going to scrounge up enough money to pay for tickets?"

Ryuuji hmmed over the phone. "Well, I could always... try."

"You weren't trying?"

"Sorry. I was, honestly. I'll try to help you out. Promise."

"Thanks, Ryuuji! You're the best! For five people, alright?"

I was so happy... until I saw the tickets, via email. There were the 5 tickets, alright. There was a stopover in china, but that wasn't that bad... the tickets were split into two groups. Two were for noon tomorrow, and the other three were for a mere two hours later. The stopover would let the two groups join up, and they would fly together to Italy. That. was. pointless.

I snatched my phone, punching Ryuuji's number into the keypad. The ringing noise lasted forever, but finally, the Granchio decimo picked up. "What's the big deal? You think its funny for my friends to be split up? What are you trying to prove?"

"I'm sorry, Tatsuki. I really am. I tried my best, but I can't really exercise any of my potential power in this family, and its the only seats I could get on such short notice... surely you understand, right?"

"Okay... I kind of get it, but... why the stopover in China?"

"Well," he chuckled. "Since my mist guardian is in Japan too, I thought she could join you. My cloud guardian is in China, visiting family, so he's going to go with you guys. You're going to go to Italy anyway, so might as well come back to aid my search for the Vongola boss."

"Your search?" I fumed. "It's OUR search, remember? We're ALLIES now."

"I know... but Tatsuki..."

"Ugh. Jerk," I muttered, ending the call. Were me and my guardians just tagging along for the ride? I sighed, flopping back onto my bed. Isabella glanced up from her manga, smirking. "So... whats the deal with that phone call?"

"I got our tickets, but there are two groups. One group of two and a group of three. Ryuuji is so mean to me." I groaned. "_Jerk._"

"I dunno, Tatsuki," Isabella chuckled. "I'm getting the feeling that he likes you."

"Oh, puh-leeze. With the way he acts, I'd be lucky if he actually did like me. Maybe he would actually get a private Granchio jet just for us, you know?"

"Calm down. Theres no need to get all worked up. Geez." She continued to flip through the pages of her book. "Who's going to be in what group?"

"Hmmm..." I pursed my lips thoughtfully. "I would take you with me, but Colonello HAS to go with me. Aj and Theresa shouldn't go alone... I think I can trust you enough..."

"You THINK you can trust your right hand enough?"

"Just kidding. Ah!" An idea popped into my mind. Pure genius. "You're in the group with Aj and Theresa!"

Isabella cocked an eyebrow at me, like she thought I was joking. "You positive about that?"

"Kind of?"

"What do you mean by kind of?"

"Ugh... you ARE okay with Aj and Theresa, right?"

"Sure," she shrugged indifferently. "It's just that I thought that maybe you..."

"Want you to fly in the same group as me? I kinda do, but that seems to be too clingy of me. Besides," I grinned. "I need you to watch out for Aj and Theresa."

"Whatever." She rolled her eyes. "You're the one who makes the decisions here. You're the boss."

"What's that supposed to mean? You're the right hand, the second most powerful member in the Tellino family! Besides...," I looked to the floor. "You know how indecisive I am..."

"Thats pretty bad for a mafia boss, isnt it?" Isabella snickered. I squeaked as my objection was caught in my throat.

"Go to sleep," She growled, having prepared for bed during my rant.

"Okay..." I mewled. What a dangerous person.

* * *

><p>My dream that night was wierd all right. All I remember was sitting down with Tsuna at a table, a light casting eerie shadows. At least, I thought it was Tsuna. When he opened his mouth to speak, his eyes flashed red, an aura of intense hatred filling the stale dream air. The Vongola Decimo roared, or was it a scream? The brown-haired teen disappeared in a whirlwind of feathers, replaced by a tall, lanky blonde. The teen raised his hand, summoning the other Vongola guardians from the depths of darkness.<p>

They were struggling against invisible bonds, being led on with psychic tethers. One by one, they were replaced with new people, all different. Their screams rang in the air, each disappearing the same way the Decimo did. I could still feel the chills as Yamamoto screamed in pain. He was the last one to vanish, the only one who made a lasting impression on me. He fought back against the manacles weighing him down, and reached out a hand to me.

"Tatsuki," he croaked. "Help... me."

"No... NO! YAMAMOTO!" I sat bolt upright, sweat making my bedsheet cling to my damp skin. "What the heck?" I gasped. Wait. Oh snap... I thought, clapping a hand over my mouth. Isabella was still sleeping.

The alarm clock read 4:13 a.m. Too early... But hey, Isabella was still asleep, completely oblivious to my total NIGHTMARE. _Figures,_ I thought, pulling my bedsheet back over my head.

* * *

><p>Enough with the flashbacks. So, here I am, in a stinking 747 instead of a luxury Granchio jet. Colonello was comfortably asleep next to me, blonde hair drooping over his eyes, his green headband slipped over his eyes. His blue pacifier had a ringlike contraption attatched to it, a tiny device created by the master Giannini himself. It was simply a prototype, but Giannini claimed that it would be the cure to the arcobaleno curse in say, 5 years. Colonello and Reborn "volunteered" to be the test subjects. The device worked... a little. Colonello and Reborn aged within seconds, speeding past to their early twenties in the blink of an eye.<p>

"I just went through puberty. Again, Kora." Colonello had shuddered.

"But it seems your balls haven't dropped yet, idiot." Reborn said brusquely, a smirk appearing on his face.

"What did you say, kora?" Colonello whipped out his rifle, pointing it at the Sun arcobaleno's head.

Ah... the days when Tsuna and the guardians were still around... and Yamamoto... was still here.

Colonello twitched in his sleep, coming awake. Opening a bleary eye, he caught me staring blankly at him and smirked. "Hey," he said, prodding me in the forehead with a stiff finger. "You still in there?"

"Huh?" I blinked rapidly, coming out of my daze. "I'm fine."

"No... somethings up. What's on your mind, kora?"

"Nothing." I turned to the window, watching as the aircraft was engulfed by a cloud bank.

The rain arcobaleno chuckled. "Its impossible to lie to me. I know that you're worried about the Vongola guardians... particularly Yamamoto."

"How?"

"Its obvious, kora. So obvious, I find it hard to believe that that Yamamoto could be so oblivious, but he is. He'd never notice."

"Really?" I asked, a little deflated. "You think so?"

"Just kidding, Kora." He grinned, while my eyes widened in shock. Colonello had a sense of humor? What was this world coming to? "What about that Ryuuji guy?"

"Say what?"

"Ryuuji Jackson. You know, the boss of the Granchio family, kora."

"Him? I thought you were joking. Seriously? How about no? I'd rather date Christian Strife... in fact, I'd rather date you."

The blonde looked confused, like I proposed to him. "You would?"

"Its an expression, Colonello. Christian is like my brother now, and you're my tutor. Do you know how wrong it is for teacher and student to date?"

"Lal would date me, kora." Colonello growled after he turned away.

It was kind of awkward after that, until the plane was suddenly engulfed in some turbulence. When lighting started flashing outside the aircraft, I knew we were in some massive trouble. Why on earth were we flying in this freak weather?

My hand crept into Colonellos, even though my eyes were glued shut. My mantra of, "pleasemakeitstop. pleasemakeitstop. pleasemakeitstop." wasn't working. His hand squeezed mine, as if comforting me. I could see blue light pulsing through my eyelids, and eventually, the turbulence died down.

When I looked outside, lightning still lit up the dark sky, but the plane didn't roll like it was caught in the storm. Colonello however, was still concentrating, his pacifier emitting waves of blue light. His rain flames must have tranquilized the surrounding air... and calmed the storm enough to let the airplane through safely.

"Thanks, Colonello." I said gratefully. "That was pretty awesome."

The rain arcobaleno grinned. "It was nothing."

* * *

><p>Italy... we're finally here. Ryuuji flew to China, trying to make peace... more like take me out on a date, but whatever. He saw Colonello there, and blanched.<p>

"Is this your boyfriend?"

"NO. Nowhere near. This is my tutor, Colonello."

"But... he looks older. I thought he was a baby." Ryuuji smirked. When my tutor glared at him, he squeaked.

"Wanna fight me?" Colonello moved to punch the Granchio decimo in the face, but I stopped him. "Look, the other guys are here. Its time to go."

Christian strife met us at the airport in Italy, and tried to flirt with my female guardians. Of course, neither Isabella or Theresa would give him the time of day. When he tried to approach kellie, Andrew gave him a death glare. Taken.

"What... are my charms wearing off?" Chris scratched the back of his head, puzzled.

"Not really... Theresa might have fallen for you if I hadn't warned her."

"Geez, sis. Killing my chances before I even meet them."

"Of course. We're here to find Gokudera, not get you hooked up with my guardians."

"Oh... about that... I don't know where he is..."

"You what?" Ryuuji roared from behind a pushcart loaded high with luggage. "You were supposed to find him! I told you to track him down a week ago!"

"Oh... I thought you were talking to yourself."

"Great," Theresa groaned. "So we flew out here for nothing."

"Not really." Aj hefted his tennis racket bag up to his shoulder. "We could always go sightseeing."

"I've got a better idea." I flipped open my cellphone, dialing up Sara. "Hey... we need to get to Vindice. How many people? I think there are 9 of us... Okay. How does 2 p.m. tomorrow sound? Cool."

"Who was that?" Ryuuji asked.

"Sara Blake, an... old friend of mine." I grinned. "Looks like we're going to Vindice tomorrow. Hey, Ryuuji... Do you think you could possibly get some heavy winter clothes for us? Do it... for me, okay?"

Right... Vindice... and Mukuro Rokudo.

* * *

><p>Heya there! Tatsuki here! Man... Going home. YES. I loves me some America. This wasn't really a covert operation, even though I desperately wanted it to be. Psh... whatever.<p>

So... There really are about 40 characters in here. I'm thinking about posting a bio of all the characters, but only if you guys really wanted me to. It would take forever to type that up.

Oh, and Sorry! Man... this took a LONG 2 hours to type, considering I was half distracted by youtube. That, and I got hungry. So the last part kinda sucked. Gomen.

Reviews=motivation=updates

You guys... :) Ah! Gonna be a senior. SENIOR. ;) Btw, I've already started the next chapter. Vindice FTW! Man, that sounded wrong.

Wrap it up, Tatsuki. Update coming soon, and if you want me to, I'll post the bio. Mind you, 50% of them are OCs. And yes, I give you permission to use them if need be. Just review and tell me, mkay?


	4. reputation precedes me

Good to be back, yo. I finally gots a laptop. Means its easier to post fanfictions. :D NO MOAR DAD SAYING THAT THIS IS BS! :D

I've done a relatively longer chapter? I dunno. Whatever.

-insert standard disclaimer here-

* * *

><p>Setting: Monte Bianco, aka Mont Blanc. It is the tallest mountain in Italy, as well as France. Located in the Alps, it poses a challenge to the rest of the world, standing as the 11th tallest mountain on earth. Our inexperienced group of mafia members was about to climb this mountain, to look for the elusive Vindice, rumored to lie at the illustrious peak. Travel time: 10 days, maybe less, maybe more, depending on our progress.<p>

Equipment: Stuff designed for Mount Everest. Basically, stuff that I had never seen before in my life, other than rope, carabiners, and screws. Tents for two, and thermal clothing. Depending upon the number of people in our group, we'd need porters, too.

So, putting this very bluntly, we're sending ten college-age kids with no prior experience to the top of a mountain to die. It was all just some fun stuff to do on a month-long break from college.

Sara met us at the lounge of a ski lodge, nestled comfortably at the base of the mountain. She sat in a plush one-seater couch, her mug of hot chocolate warming her as much as the fireplace she sat in front of.

"Hey, Tatsuki! Welcome to Monte Bianco. I assume these are your friends?"

"Yeah. Those are Theresa, Aj, and Isabella, my guardians. That's Ryuuji, Chris, Andrew, and Kellie, Granchio family. Colonello there is my tutor." I continued the introductions, but Sara's eyes remained riveted on Isabella's smile. Check that, Isabella's magnetic smile.

"Hey, you. Your name is Isabella, right?" Sara strode past Chris, ignoring his mischievous facial expressions and flirty eyebrow raising.

"Yes. You're Sara, the one who's going to get us to Vindice."

"I hope so," she murmured, squinting at my cloud guardian's grill. "Can you lose the braces anytime soon? Like now?"

"Honestly, I wish I could, but the orthodontist says I have a year to go before we even consider taking them off."

Sara grimaced. "We're going up a mountain, where temperatures reside near zero. I don't want your wires to bust, because you'd be running around with a face full of razors."

Isabella turned to me. "Wait… so…boss, does that mean I have to head home?"

Well… I don't exactly think that meant anything good. In spite of the fact that a 15,782 foot mountain loomed just overhead, I wouldn't want any help going home before we even set foot on the giant. In truth, I wanted every reason to get off the trip.

There had to be something. Something we could do… anything.

"Sara. You have mist flames. That means illusions. Can't you, say, create an illusion that gets the braces off her face? Say, one that even the elements can't tamper with?"

"That's pretty high level stuff you're asking from me, Tatsuki." Sara smirked. "I'd love a good challenge." Rummaging in her coat pocket, she drew forward a simple silver ring, with an indigo gemstone set into the center. Sara concentrated, igniting a flame on the ring, her other hand extended in front of my best friend's face. Purple-blue mist pulsed out of her hand, covering Isabella's mouth. After a few minutes of tedious silence, her work was completed. Unsure of the result, Isabella ran her fingers over her now bare teeth.

"It's just an illusion, but it should be enough to prevent any imminent danger, for now."

"Wow… thanks."

Sara let a wry smile upturn the corners of her mouth. "Savor the moment. You still have a year of braces to go when we get back."

* * *

><p>In truth, I love the cold, but climbing an icy mountain, away from the warmth and comforts of home, was NOT ideal. Meals consisted of hot chocolate (coffee for Colonello), power bars, cup ramen, and… some weird stuff that I would never eat in a normal setting. It looked like a primeval lump of kami-knows-what that our two transporters were scarfing down.<p>

"What is that…?"

They looked at me curiously, slowing down enough to offer me a piece of what I perceived as offal. It appeared to be red meat, from centuries ago. The object in my hands had withered into a strip of tough, dry leather, a yellow butter -like substance smeared liberally, garnished with a coating of coarse salt. No way in the 7 hells would I eat that stuff.

In broken English, the stockier of the transporters peered at me, wondering why I continued to examine the meat. "Why you no try? It good!"

"I will. It looks… appetizing. I'll eat it..." I probably would at least taste it… I just hoped to kami that there weren't any tapeworms in the meat. Those were salt granules, right? Not insect larvae?

Slowly, my hands shaking, I edged a corner of the beef/lamb/pork/mystery meat into my mouth, and took a nibble. The flavor… was unique. The tough meat was actually pretty flavorful, like cured meat, but the texture was revolting. The salty butter had turned into something disgustingly gelatinous, and the mélange of crunchy, slimy, squishy, and chewy was NOT something I wanted to eat. Colonello strode over, watching my face contort into expressions he found hilarious. "Hey, Tatsuki. Whatcha eatin'?"

Grimacing, I handed him the strip of animal flesh. "Apparently, its food, and if you eat it, it acts as an aphrodisiac." Colonello eagerly snatched up the meat, devouring it. "Not bad. Got any more?" I gestured to the two men behind me. "Help yourself. By the way," I said, tucking my chin into the collar of my jacket. "I was kidding about it being an aphrodisiac."

* * *

><p>Swing. Thunk. Swing. Thunk. Swing the ice pick. Kick your crampons into the wall. Move the clasp up the rope. Don't forget to breathe. Repeat indefinitely until you reach camp.<p>

Did my brain still work? I don't know. I was still breathing right? Still thinking in that head of yours? Sara was leading the way up a sheer ice cliff. Monotonously, like a machine, like an inchworm, we made our way straight up, vertical. How long have we been here? An hour? A day? A week? It's all the same. "3 more days till we reach the top, guys," Sara says, her face as pale as the surrounding snow. Hunger… can I still feel hunger? I can barely move in my constricting clothing. I can still feel my toes. I can still feel my hands. They're there, blood still pumping slowly through my veins. Three days. Three days until Vindice. I can't wait to eat my power bar.

* * *

><p>We're here. After a long, arduous, freezing trek up a mountain, we are here. Our group of 10 stands in front of the icy steel door, the door as forbidding as the mountain itself. Vindice is emblazoned on the metal door, icicles dripping from the letters.<p>

"Sugoi…" Andrew breathes, holding Kellie close.

Sara reaches into her backpack, extracting a satellite radio. "Hello? We've arrived."

Slowly, the door opens inwards, revealing a dark cave, like the maw of some ancient terrestrial animal. Stone steps lead ever downwards into the belly of the beast. Somewhere, near the bottom of Vindice itself, we would find our Vongola illusionist.

Step after step, with only flickering lights to guide us. The heat inside was surprising. Vindice's stony interior captured the exuded body heat, and temperatures ranged from chilly but comfortable, to stifling hot. Down, down, down we went. Colonello's hand had crept into mine; a teacher reassuring his student that all would be okay. The last flight of stairs revealed a man, suspended in yellow-green liquid.

"Mukuro Rokudo. I know you're awake. Cut the illusion. We need to talk."

The image shimmered, then faded altogether, and Mukuro stood in the center of the room, chuckling. "Why, if it isn't Sara Blake. It's been too long."

I crossed my arms. "You know why we're here, Mukuro. You should know what's been going on in the mafia world."

"Kufufu… What ever do you mean, my dear Tatsuki?"

"Do I have to tell you? It would be sad if the Vongola mist guardian didn't know that his family had been disbanded, don'cha think?"

"Disbanded…" Clouds of doubt passed over his face. "So that's what's really going on…"

"You didn't know?" Isabella stepped forward, away from the relative anonymity of the group. "Tsuna split the Vongola up. We need your help to find where he, or his guardians, could possibly be."

"Kufufu… I assume you're looking for Hibari, then?"

I glanced sideways, watching Isabella's face flush red. Her crush on the Vongola cloud was… actually pretty obvious, at least more obvious than my… whatever you call it, to Yamamoto. "Duh. We need to find him," she blustered.

"Isn't the answer obvious?" The mist guardian chuckled. "He's in Namimori."

* * *

><p>If you don't know what an aphrodesiac is, look it up. Actually... you can if you want to. Not gonna force you.<p>

HEY ITS TATSUKI HERE. Again. 3 I'm back from writers block. Time to write Hibari in, and introduce new characters. :) Dang... Nanowrimo is coming up, isn't it?

Well... I enjoy being a vegetarian now, thank you very much. The food came from andrew zimmern's show or what have you. And yes. It probably was asian food.


	5. Clouds with silver linings

Yes. Its September 11 today. I remember this day... barely. 10 years ago, I was... 7. 2nd grade. That day... was the official start for the American fight against terrorism. So I guess, in addition to my wonderful guardian, Isabella, who gave me this day as a deadline, this chapter is going to be dedicated to whoever was affected by this day.

Oh, and maybe, just maybe, I'll continue this updating rate-likeness.

* * *

><p>No matter how old I was, no matter how mentally prepared I assumed I was, I could never brace myself for the horrendous impact of airplane food. Nothing could quite compare to this anomaly of nature. It was mass produced, frozen, and then nuked for 5 minutes on board to accent the already plastic-like flavors. As I peeled back the tin lid on the package, the odor assailed my nostrils. I regretted my decision of ordering a vegetarian meal instantly.<p>

"Um, Miss?" I hailed a stewardess. Pushing my tray aside, I asked, "Excuse me, may I have a cup of ramen instead?"

Colonello sniggered. "Can't stand the heat, kora?"

"Shut up." I shoved him slightly. "Would YOU eat that?"

"No. That's why I ordered non-vegetarian food. Mmmm… meat." He lifted a piece of 'barbecue chicken' ( more like miscellaneous meat colored with brown goo) with chopsticks, and popped it into his mouth. "Yummy." Colonello chewed thoughtfully, letting his eyes roam about the airplane cabin. Behind us, Isabella, Theresa, and Aj sat. Strangers all around us were tucking into their meals one or another. One person in particular caught his eye, across the aisle, sipping mildly at a cup of steaming green tea. In front of him sat a hamburger, looking prime and delicious. The man next to our target was eyeing the other's meal jealously, glancing disdainfully at the tray in front of him.

"Hey, Tatsuki… you don't think…"

"Who?" Colonello motioned subtly to the black-haired man with the burger. "That one."

"No… It can't be… We're going TO Japan, not the other way around. Why would he leave Japan?"

"Who knows?" I continued to stare at the man, but failed to disguise my gaze. He caught me staring, and glared at me. "Is there something wrong?"

"No, um…" Was there something stuck in my throat? I couldn't speak. His piercing gaze… just like the person… "Excuse me, what's your name?"

"Why do you want to know? Chances are, you will never see me ever again."

"Sorry. I was just wondering."

He snorted. "Next time, mind your own business." The raven-haired man gulped his cooled tea down to the dregs. "My name… is Kyoya. Fuuki inchou."

Kyoya… I remember when I met him. Thought I would be unforgettable, but perceptions are deceiving.

"Nice to meet you. I'm Tatsuki. This here is Colonello."

"Ossu, Kora." Colonello's jaw tightened, an eyebrows arching over turquoise eyes.

This was the one: Hibari Kyoya. To think, he finally set foot out of Namimori, to even step foot out of Japan. Tsuna really did a job on Hibari's memory. Man, if Hibari couldn't remember the Vongola…

"So, Hibari, I-" I began, rubbing my thumb along the details of my Tellino sky ring. Hibari interrupted me.

"How do you know my name? I told you my name was Kyoya, not Hibari."

"Sorry, Kyoya. It's just that I… I, um…" I tried to cover up my mistake. "My friend, this girl named Isabella, liked a guy named Kyoya… Hibari Kyoya. Sorry. I thought that…,"

"I'm sorry. Did you say Isabella?" A flicker of recognition flashed in his slate-gray eyes. "Isabella… I wonder where she is right now…"

"Did someone say my name?" My cloud guardian poked her head out from behind my seat. "Boss, did you call me?" It's a wonder she heard her name over the roar of airplane engines just outside our windows.

"Isabella? Is that really you?" The Vongola guardian peered at my best friend. His eyes were searching for some recognizable feature.

"Who are you?" Isabella pursed her lips.

"Idiot!" I hissed. "It's Hibari!"

"What?" How could she not have recognized him? The gray eyes, the onyx black hair, the aloof way he carried himself… but the chances of running into him WERE slim, yet… "Hibari?" Suddenly, it dawned on her. Finally. "HIBARI!" She squealed, reaching forward to clasp his extended hand.

He smiled softly, rubbing her hand tenderly with his thumb. "You can't believe how long I've been searching for you. For some reason, the only person I can remember is you. It seems that someone has erased my memory of the last couple years, but in spite of that fact, I can still remember you…," he mused. "Can you tell me what exactly is going on?"

"Um…," My cloud guardian looked to me pleadingly. She all-too-well remembered the Lambo Bovino incident. We were treading in dangerous waters. "Boss," whispered Isabella. "Help me. Please?"

"Hibari, would you like us to help uncover your past?" I said slowly, unsure of his potential reaction. Was he going to freak out? Turn me down?

"Alright. I'd like your help. And Isabella," he turned, gnawing slightly at his bottom lip. "I think we had something… going on? I remember you saying things that made me feel-"

"OKAY." Isabella interjected, cutting Hibari off. "We'll find your memories. Together."

-at the baggage claim-

"Alright then, I'm ready. Where do we go?" Hibari shouldered his duffel bag, headed to where my family was standing. "We're going to start finding my memories, right?"

"Ah, about that, Hibari…" I frowned. "We need to find the person who wiped your memories first, ask him the real reason why he did it, and then ask him to reverse what he did."

"That sounds complicated. Do you know where this person is?"

"Sorry, but no. You're going to help us look for him. Sound cool?"

"Um… maybe?" The Vongola cloud looked uncertain.

"You get to bite people to death." Isabella grinned, waiting to see his reaction. Could his renowned catchphrase dimly ring a bell in the back of his mind?

"Ew. Literally?" His raven eyebrows met, confused.

"Of course not. That would be extremely unsanitary," Theresa giggled. "We're just going to beat up whoever took Tsuna away."

"Sounds cool. I like that phrase. Say," Hibari pointed to an approaching silver-haired man. "Did he take this Tuna guy?"

A silver-haired man was striding closer aggressively, silver skull jewelry cluttering up his appearance. One skull in particular was glittering fiercely, a brilliant red gemstone gripped in its teeth. Suddenly, as if the sparkling facets harnessed the surrounding light, and burst into a red flame. The tiny tongue licked harmlessly at the burnished metal neither consuming the ring, nor the wearer. A dying will flame, storm version.

"Hey." The emerald-eyed man glared at me, a cigarette dangling from his lips. He looked rather pale, like he hadn't been eating properly. Maybe he should eat some Gyoza Gyuudon ramen.

"You Tatsuki Yamato?"

"Maybe…? Who's asking?" I gulped nervously, hand subconsciously reaching to grip the sky ring dangling from my neck.

"Hayato Gokudera. I'm here to kill you."

* * *

><p>Gasp. Hayato Gokudera is here to kill me! The psychological reason as to why he's here to kill me is that due to his upbringing as a mafioso, Tsuna kinda screwed up with the brain-washing. So, after the mind wipe, Hayato didn't remember the Vongola, and instead, went into the hitman-esque business. Deductively, the person who took the Vongola Decimo sent Hayato after me.<p>

If you were wondering where Sara, Christian Strife,

* * *

><p>HEY. ITS TATSUKI HERE. Yay for chappie 5! Nom.<p>

I have no idea what the heck is going on.

Reviews=motivation=updates.

I think that I should work on the next chapter now. And play my violin. Hayato says that you should review.

**Hayato: **No I didn't. Don't try to put words in my mouth.

**Tatsuki:** -.-"


	6. Cricket infestation

Its been too long. Much too long. I hate school, but at the same time, I love it. Sorry, Isabella, that I couldn't make your deadline of the end of september, but I was at camp. I hope you dont hate me.

* * *

><p>Gokudera began to stalk forward determinedly, knowing there was nowhere for me to run. The open area provided no shelter to duck behind. I was trapped by nothing. How ironic.<p>

"Kekeke… What are you going to do? If any of your guardians get in the way, I'll just kill them for interfering." The hurricane bomber smirked, the malicious grin creeping up his pale, withered face. He looked as if he hadn't gotten adequate sleep, n or nutrition. He looked overwhelmingly beat-up, for the genius son of a rich Mafioso. "You might as well surrender."

"Why the heck would I surrender?" I screamed, outraged. Since when was I going to give in without a fight? That would be as stupid as giving up on Tsuna.

"I was told to bring you back dead or alive, but since you won't die-" Gokudera erupted into a fit of hacking coughs. "Just a sec," he wheezed out. My hand began to creep towards the longsword hanging from my back. To think that I would be using my weapon so soon after I reclaimed it from airport security; this situation was quickly spiraling out of control. My attacker caught the slight movement with his sunken, yet hawk-like eyes. "Don't think I'll let you get away." He tossed two handfuls of bombs at me, shouting at the top of his lungs. I think he was shouting about him throwing twice the amount of bombs.

I swung my longsword free from its constraints, whipping it around to a rest in front of me. Swift as the wind, I snicked the lit fuses off the dynamite, letting them clatter harmlessly to the ground, but one miniature stick snuck under my defenses, and exploded on my left sleeve. "What the hell?" I screamed. "WHAT'S WRONG WITH YOU? WHY ARE YOU DOING THIS?"

The hurricane bomber cackled harshly. "You'd do this too if you were being paid to do it."

"Paid…?" Hayato was being paid? If so, he was a hit man, but how exactly did this work? He was supposed to have his memory wiped of all mafia-related activities. However… if he somehow found his way back to the underground world, but did not regain his memories, then… then it resulted in this.

"AHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!" The Vongola storm guardian was dancing furiously on a baggage claim turnstile, shooting some colorful explosions my way. It was obvious that he really was mentally unstable. Somehow, the renowned weapons had run out, and he was forced to turn to the next best weapon: fireworks. However, these weren't the big explosion-creating fireworks, nor were they extremely flashy. To put it simply, they soon were party poppers, and even then, they rabidly degenerated to simpler and simpler weapons. His reserve had dwindled; perhaps the dynamite he had thrown at me before were his last. The last of the flamboyant noisemakers were used up, and he began tossing cigarettes at me.

"You're crazy, dude." A passerby rolled his eyes at the ridiculous front the silver haired youth was putting up. He had used up the last of his cigarettes, and was frantically attempting a fist-to-cuffs. "Come at me, Tellino primo!"

"You stupid idiot," I grunted, baring my sword. The longsword began to flicker with orange flames, tongues of fire licking up the fuller. "Why on earth would I fight you? You ran out of weapons already." I lowered my guard, approaching him as he continued to bob and weave in one place.

"Ran out of weapons?" An insane glint shone in his eyes. "I still have plenty of dynamite!" He began to chuck the dynamite willy-nilly. There was no way I could defend myself. In spite of my frantic attempts to swat the weapons away from me, they still found a way to hit me directly. I was thrown backwards, skidding slightly on the pavement, my scorched jacket beginning to fall apart.

"Tatsuki!" Colonello had noticed that I didn't follow the others, and had come back to find me, only to discover that I was fighting off a hit man, alone, with nobody to aid me. My guardians followed in his wake, rage burning on their faces. Hibari came in last, quietly observing the scene. The rain arcobaleno grimaced at the blood oozing from multiple burn wounds.

Isabella sucked in air through her teeth. "That looks bad…" The group halted as Hayato held up a hand for them to stop. "Don't come any closer."

"Listen to what he says!" I grimaced as the slight movement only increased my pain. They couldn't die… not for me. I wasn't worth the trouble.

"Stop." A sibilant hiss said menacingly, laden with venom.

"What?" The silver-haired bomber turned to glare at the speaker. "Make me, you raven-haired fool!"

Hibari twitched, a tonfa sliding out of his sleeve into his palm. "You... bastard…" A word danced on the tip of his tongue, hesitant to be spoken. The prefect's eyes began to glaze over, and his movements grew slightly more erratic. "Herbivore. I'm going to bite you to death."

Hibari lunged suddenly, catching Hayato's throat. Mercilessly, he beat the assassin until he fell to the ground, stopping only when the attacker lapsed into unconsciousness. The raven-haired prefect stood erect, dusting off his jeans, and then his eyes cleared.

"What…?" Hibari blinked rapidly, dropping his tonfas suddenly. "What the…?" He saw the bruised hurricane bomber lying at his feet. "Did… Did I do this?"

"Yeah." Isabella pursed her lips. "You really don't remember?"

"Probably not. I think fighting has been ingrained in his muscle memory, like Lambo's but different." Slowly, I made an effort to stand, but Colonello pushed be back down, laying me flat on my back. "You need rest. Hospital rest."

"Fine," I groaned. "What hospital?"

"The Vongola hospital." Colonello grinned widely. "They have a world-class doctor, one of the best in the world, kora."

"You don't mean…"

"-Not to mention, I heard he specializes in women."

-at the hospital-

"Colonello, I can't believe you actually brought me here. Of all people in the world who could have treated me, why HIM?"

"Because he treats women for free." The rain Arcobaleno looked disappointed, a downcast expression crossing over his face.

"I'd rather have paid." The stark white room was accented only by a vase of colorful, but fake, flowers resting on a bedside stand. The dull room contained an IV drip, a blood bag, and monitors to keep a watch on my heart rate. "

"-You can't go in there! The patient need's rest!" Dr. Shamal's voice could be heard through the door. He was just in the room five minutes ago… was he planning to make another attempt at a date? I hoped not.

"I need to see her!" The door burst open, revealing a gray-haired teen. His forest-green sweater was soaked with sweat; emerald eyes shone with fear. "Oh my God, Tatsuki. Are you okay?", he blustered, crimson flushed across his cheeks.

"Honestly, Ryuuji? Does it look like I'm okay?" _Why does everyone ask that question when the answer is obvious? I'm in a HOSPITAL. _

"How could I be so stupid? I should have known that Gokudera would come after you. We've known that he was communicating with an outside source for weeks!" I rolled my eyes as the Granchio boss continued berating himself in front of Colonello and I. He was acting like a fool, but I guess that it was alright. –Someone- had mentioned that this particular mafia boss had some feelings for me, so acting a little flustered was reasonable. NOT.

"If only I had been there, I could have-"

"You could have done nothing, kora." Colonello interjected sharply. "If I could have done nothing to stop Hayato, what more could you have done?"

"I would have… I would have…" Ryuuji looked crestfallen. "I don't think I could have done anything."

"I THINK THAT'S ENOUGH." I said loudly, heaving a massive sigh. "Look, what happened, happened. Not like anything could have gone differently."

A tentative knock sounded at my door. Isabella had arrived, arm in arm with Hibari. "Boss…" She was gnawing at her bottom lip. Funny, I thought that her braces would be back by now, but it seems that she had AJ keep them off for her.

"Please don't ask me if I'm okay."

"I wasn't going to," she said, Hibari chuckled, pulling Isabella closer. Isabella grinned mischeviously. "I was just going to tell you that Sam was on her way here."

"Oh dear lord…" I groaned, bracing myself.

"TATSUKI!" A figure leapt from the doorway, catching me in a vice-grip of a hug. My sun guardian bore a huge grin on her face, totally disregarding my injuries. "Wow, boss. You look really beat up."

"That's why you should avoid giving me this pain, and get off of me."

"Oh, right. I have to give you something." She pulled a tiny yellow box from her pocket, then proceeded to open it with her sun flames. Out from the box came a yellow spatula.

"Is that…?"

"Yeah… it was Ryohei's." Sam began to work on my burn wounds in silence, frowning in concentration.

Colonello coughed suddenly. "I think I'll go now, kora. I have to, um, go somewhere important." Isabella and Hibari excused themselves as well, following my tutor out the door. After Sam finished up, she left the room, leaving Ryuuji alone with me.

"Tatsuki, I'm really sorry, I just-"

"Look. That's enough apologizing. What happened, happened. You can't go and change the past. It's already been done."

"I know, but if only I had told you about Gokudera, if only Chris had done what I had told him, you wouldn't be in this mess."

"It would have happened eventually." A voice spoke up from the doorway. Hibari had returned, without my guardian. "He mentioned he was hired by an outside source. I suggest that you find out who hired him, young Granchio Decimo."

Ryuuji blanched. "That's… probably… a good idea."

"It's a really good idea." Hibari continued. "You should probably do that now."

"Yeah." Ryuuji dashed out of the room. The Vongola cloud turned to me, a subtle grin playing at the corners of his mouth. "You need your rest. Isabella and I will return tomorrow. Until then," he said, excusing himself.

I sat in silence, my eyes roving around the blank walls. We already encountered Lambo, Mukuro, Gokudera, and Hibari. 2 more to go until we were supposed to know where Tsuna could possibly be, but at this rate, I doubt we would ever find him.

* * *

><p>Hey, Its tatsuki here once again. I am so tired right now, and I desperately want to go back to sleep. Its 6 in the morning. Yay.<p>

reviews=motivation=updates. Just because I update doesn't mean I'm motivated.


	7. New flavor of things

Oh Kami. Its 1 in the morning and I'm so tired... I did it because I teased my wonderful cloud guardian, and I felt bad. Here it is, a week before the deadline you set for me.

* * *

><p>I was dreaming.<p>

Or was I?

The ballroom was brightly lit, filled with smiling people, dressed in elegant clothing. Men wore suits of varying hues, and the women were bedecked with numerous jewels. A single man, face masked, stood in the center of the crowd, motioning for me to approach him. Hesitantly, I did so; as I moved forward, the crowd parted like the Red Sea, permitting me entrance. As they bowed slightly, golden chandelier light glimmered off a certain pin that everybody present wore proudly. All of the golden pins bore a familiar insignia, only altered slightly. Instead of the Vongola name on the scroll, there was my family name: Tellino.

The man was smiling, even though I couldn't see his face. His voice reverberated with the essence only found in dreams. Slowly, he extended a hand out in an invitation to dance.

"Sorry, but I don't dance," I murmured with a rueful smile.

"Tatsuki, just one dance, please?" He pulled off a glove and used it to tickle my nose. "Tatsuki," he repeated.

"Stoppit , dude. That feels weird."

The scene faded, but the tickling persisted, growing harsher, almost like someone was scratching my nose with a candy wrapper. "Wake up, kora…" An omnipresent voice continued to say… wait, what?

Kora?

I opened a bleary eye to see something that I did NOT want to see so early in the morning. As far as I could tell, the sun wasn't even out yet. My tutor's grinning face hovered mere inches above my own. "Why are you here, Colonello?"

"We're training. Here's your breakfast." The rain Arcobaleno deposited the foil packet onto my face, before leaping towards the window. "See you in 20 minutes, at the gym, kora!" At that, he jumped, rolling as he hit the ground to absorb the shock. He took off running into the night, his eagle screeching loud enough to wake up everyone else in the dorms as it glided behind him.

"Poptarts? Really, Colonello? Geez… couldn't you have actually cooked something warm?" I turned to see my alarm clock, resting on my bedside table. Red LEDS glowed the time: 4:12 in the morning. It was way too early to do this sort of thing this early in the morning. And to think, I had just recovered a mere week ago.

"Wake up, Isabella. We have to train." Sluggishly, I eased out of my bed, wincing as my feet hit the cold floor. I really wanted something cooked in my belly. Oh, how a bowl of ramen would be enjoyed right about now…

My cloud guardian grumbled. "Don't wanna." She pulled the covers of her be over her head, a staunch refusal evident in her actions.

"Wake UP." Angrily, I smacked a pillow down onto my sleepy guardian's head. _HARD._

"GOD. WHAT THE FUCK IS WRONG WITH YOU?" Isabella grabbed the pillow and solidly thwacked it against my face. "I'll wake up in an hour," she said, retreating back to the relative comfort of her blanketed world.

"Your loss," I sighed, pulling a hoodie over my head. "Just so you know, some of the Arcobaleno are helping us out today. They intend to focus on training our flame properties, and how we can use them properly." She remained silent. Whether or not she was truly asleep, I continued to talk to the air. "Since we're training in that particular manner, that means we're training with people who have similar flames, in a separate areas, by ourselves. And since Hibari intends to help us and train with us, then that means-"

"HIBARI AND I ARE GOING TO BE TRAINING TOGETHER?" Isabella shot out of bed, snatched clothes from her closet, and locked herself in the bathroom.

"Kasu… if only I knew that Hibari was the keyword to get her out of bed, I would have said it a long time ago." I snorted, glancing at the packet of Pop Tarts. I almost wanted to eat them. Almost. Pulling out my phone, I dialed Gyoza Gyuudon ramen up again. I just hoped that Ipin was awake at 4 in the morning.

-at the gym-

"Where is Hibari?" Isabella had burst into the gym, scouring every nook and cranny for the elusive Vongola cloud guardian's whereabouts.

"He's not here." I groaned. Brisk morning air bit into my face, but I welcomed it.

"Obviously. Where is he?" She began to fidget, testily shifting her weight from foot to foot. Her water bottle began to twitch, the metal canister beginning to give way under her clenched fists.

"Where else would he be?"

"The roof!" She dashed outside, scaling the ladder that lead to the roof, but he wasn't there. "You said he'd be on the roof. Liar."

"I never said he'd be on the roof, stupid. I said he'd be somewhere where… like in bed, still sleeping…?" I smirked, watching my best friend fume madly about how she ran around for no reason.

"What are you guys doing up here?" Hibari had climbed the ladder to join us, rubbing remnants from a sandman's visit from sleepy eyes. He reclined lazily on the roof, and watched the sun peek over the horizon. "Did someone tell you to come here, too?"

"Yup. Colonello woke me up at 4." Sniffling disdainfully, I glanced towards the courtyard, looking for my home tutor. Shouldn't he be here before anybody else arrived, preparing a training regimen?

"Tatsuki made me," Isabella began, but plopped down next to the Vongola cloud. I glared at her. "But it's okay," she continued. Under her breath, she groaned when she thought I wasn't listening. I snapped around to stare at Isabella, but she was already nuzzling Hibari affectionately.

Hurriedly, I averted my eyes, feeling my face burning crimson. "Colonello, hurry up and get here…," I muttered. Time was passing at a snail's pace, dragging its heels with every passing second.

An hour passed before Colonello arrived onto the rooftop, yawning as he carried a tray of steaming coffee cups. I took a sip, but then immediately gagged and spat out the vile liquid. It was black. Hibari drank his cup undeterred by the overwhelming bitterness, ignoring the boiling heat. Isabella was trying to follow suit, but I guess girls aren't supposed to drink coffee black anyway.

Within the next hour, everyone gathered in the weight room of the on-campus gym. Colonello, Reborn, Fong, Lal Mirch, and the Granchio were gathered at the door, along with the leader of the CEDEF. Iemetsu's face betrayed no feelings of remorse, in spite of his son's current missing status.

"Alright! Flames gather with like flames. Clouds on the roof, mist on the tennis court, rain in the baseball field, thunder and storm in the football field, sun stays here, and the sky goes to the basketball court. Get moving!" Lal barked.

* * *

><p><em>Cloud<em>

On the roof, Andrew, Isabella, and Hibari had gathered, awaiting their instructor. They were reclined lazily on the roof, watching the skies, until a person dropped from the heavens, startling them. The newcomer paid no heed to the welfare of his pupils, grumbling about how this plan was stupid, but the scarf heavily wrapped around his neck muffled his utterances. When the dark purple-haired turned to face the trio, his eyes were ablaze with purple dying will flames. Literally. Another, similar figure appeared from the shadows, without the cloud flames in his eyes. "Cloud guardians?" the two spoke together.

"Um… yes?" Hibari said tentatively.

Wordlessly, the duo both pulled out a pair of pistols, middle fingers resting on the triggers. "Stupid. Answer my question."

"Y-ee-s. We are." Isabella took care to remove any questionable inflections from her voice. "We are cloud guardians." The double tutors stashed their weapons in belt holsters. As one extinguished the cloud flame on his ring, the purple-eyed tutor faded into virtually nothing, the only evidence of his visit lay on the ground as a single strand of hair. The three pupils gaped in shock, as the tutor introduced himself.

"I'm Cyrus." He spoke menacingly, pulling down his black scarf enough so his mouth was visible. "Today, you will be learning how to utilize the propagation factor of your cloud flames. Plucking a strand of his own hair, he dangled it above the dying will flame on his ring. Once the strand caught, he dropped it onto the asphalt roof, and the group watched as the strand bubbled up into an exact copy of the ambiguous figure, down to the last fiber of clothing.

"You can create clones of yourself, and depending on the strength of your flame, your clone can increase in strength." Cyrus pulled out a pistol, and shot his clone point-blank in the back of the head before his clone could react. "Of course, they're always weaker than the original, and will dissolve when they suffer enough damage, according to their strength level." For once, he let out a semblance of a smile, but the expression lasted as long as rain on a bright day. "Now, the challenging part of this exercise is getting you to learn this."

"One question." Andrew spoke up, gnawing at his bottom lip. "Do our clones return their memories to us?"

"To a point, yes, they do. You will remember what they do within 3 hours of disappearing. Why?"

"Well," Andrew explained, "Theoretically, we can make our clones create clones, correct?"

"I suppose so."

"Then, we can learn how to create clones efficiently."

"As long as you create the first one correctly and efficiently, that theory would be correct. If you can do so, I'd applaud you, but I've done some experimenting on it myself." Cyrus' jaw clenched. "This is a risky technique. Too much flame and you put your life at risk. Too long does the same." He snorted. "Why am I doing this again? Ugh. This is so stupid."

* * *

><p><em>Mist<em>

Aj hesitantly stepped onto the tennis court, dropping his tennis bag. He released a racquet from the bag, and, using his powers to create a ball, began to play by himself.

"I'll say. You're actually really good."

Aj flinched. There were no other people on the court, or so he thought. "Is there anyone there?"

"Of course there's always someone here, whether you believe it or not. It's just the matter of being able to see that person with the naked eye." The specter appeared at the other end of the court, swinging a head microgel racquet to return Ajs' serve.

Aj stepped up his game, slicing the ball turn and turn again. "Are you supposed to be the tutor?"

"Maybe, but I was supposed to have a partner. She called herself Mammon, but insisted on being paid royally. I could never pay her. After all, I'm nothing but a lowly street magician." With a smirk, the man caused the illusory ball to disappear. "I'm Diz. Nice to meet you."

"Aj. Nice to meet you, too."

"Say, isn't there another student? Someone by the name of Kellie?"

"I'm right here," a voice spoke up softly from the sidelines, a face peeking out from under a hooded jacket. "Present."

"Well, well. If we're all here, then I guess you're ready to be taught?" Diz flashed a brilliant smile, adjusting his navy satin vest. "Seeing as I have no choice in the matter," he chuckled, "I'll proceed. You DO know the basic principles of the Mist flame, correct?"

Aj and Kellie were silent, eyes not willing to make contact with their teacher's. Diz smiled comfortingly. "Now, now. I'm not going to snap at you for not being able to answer my question. "There are five main types. Distraction," a loud thud sounded behind the two students, and they whirled around to look. Of course, there was nothing there.

"I said Distraction, didn't I? The next is Disguise." When Aj and Kellie turned to face their teacher once again, he was an exact doppelganger of Aj.

"There is Construction," Diz continued, conjuring up another tennis ball.

"Attack," he exploded into a pillar of fire. Though the heat was felt by every nerve on the young pupils' bodies, it still was an illusion.

"Confusion." Three teachers rounded on the two, all speaking simultaneously.

"And, last but not least, Augmentation." The three fused back into one, larger than life Diz, overly muscled and wielding a trident large enough to pierce the heavens. "Aj," his voice boomed. "Your strength seems to lie in Construction. Kellie, the same goes for you." Diz once again flashed his winning smile. "By the time I'm done with the both of you, each of you will be strong enough to fool the Vindici. Let's begin."

* * *

><p><em>Sun<em>

Sam sat on a bench in the boxing room, restlessly clenching and unclenching her fists. "This is so boringgggg," she groaned."Why isn't anybody here yet?"

"Because our teacher lacks incentive. More like he lacks a ride to get here. He lives on a farm." A blonde haired teen entered the room, his face wrinkling as the pungent odor of sweat assailed his nostrils. "We're being tutored by a country hick." He prodded a worn sandbag with a stiff finger, continuing to complain of the sun teacher's credentials.

"I'm not a country hick," a voice drawled. "I just happen to farm because of my flame's properties. You'd do the same, with money flowing in as fast as it does."

The blonde snorted. "I'd never stoop so low as to work the earth for an income."

"Suit yourself. What's your name, by the way?"

"Twilight."

"Wes."

Sam coughed harshly, drawing the attention of the two bickering men. "I'm Sam, and aren't we going to do something already?" She cracked her knuckles, beginning to stretch. "If we're not going to do something now, I'm leaving to train on my own."

"Alright. I assume you know that the Sun's main attribute is accelerated growth, right?" Wes smiled at Sam, casting a scowl Twilight's general direction. "With accelerated growth, you can not only heal wounds rapidly, but can also use it to increase your strength."

Wes approached a worn sandbag, the joints in his fist cracking with tension. His eyes flashed yellow, and with the movement of one finger, he jabbed the sandbag fiercely, bursting it. A bullet-sized hole released grains of sand onto the white tile floor.

"Let's say that you'll be able to master this move within, say, 24 hours. That good enough of a deal for you guys?"

"24 hours?" Twilight scoffed. "You'd be lucky if we could master that in a year."

"Pessimist." Wes spat. "Accelerated growth works on the brain too, numbnuts."

Sam sighed. This was going to be a LONG 24 hours.

Reborn popped stepped out of a portal he had constructed in the center of the boxing ring. Leon leapt down from the brim of his fedora, transforming into a familiar object. "I suggest you do this with your dying will."

* * *

><p><em>Sky<em>

Iemetsu sat in silence near the basketball gym wall, unwilling to speak whatsoever. I had attempted to start a conversation with him, but it was like speaking to a wall. Ryuuji was next to me on the bleachers, twiddling his thumbs.

"Um… Mr. Sawada?"

No response.

"Ryuuji?"

"Hm?"

"We're not going to learn anything, are we?"

"Probably not…. Why?"

"Just wondering." I lay flat against the bleachers, inhaling the lemony-fresh scent of floor wax. You could get high off that stuff. My mind was drifting off to the welcoming folds of sleep until SOMEONE decided it was a good idea to slam the gymnasium doors open to accentuate his entrance. Iemetsu started. I had a heart attack.

"Hey guys! Good morning!" Christopher Strife beamed, a steaming mug of coffee clutched in his gloved hands.

"What the hell, Chris!" I shouted. My hand was placed over my heart, which was beating a frantic tattoo against my chest.

"Sorry, little sis. Didn't mean to scare you." Chris smiled, then downed the last of his coffee.

"Little sis?" Ryuuji inquired.

"Its figurative." I replied, then turned to berate Chris. "Why were you late? We've been sitting here for HOURS."

"Its only 7:00."

"We got here at 5 IN THE MORNING."

"Oops." Chris scratched at the back of his head. "Thought it would be at a relatively better time, not so early in the morning."

"Chris. You're an absolute idiot." Ryuuji growled. "I told you that training started at 5."

"Calm yourself, bro," the Granchio's assassination squad leader shooed the insult away with a wave of his hand. "We're all here, so its cool." Chris removed the gloves from his hands, and popping a hyper dying will pill, he assumed a fighting stance. "So, what we're going to learn today is the Zero-point breakthrough-"

"You can't do that." A voice interrupted. Iemetsu Sawada spoke, standing up. "I won't allow it."

"Why not?"

"Because. That's a Vongola technique, not some move taught by strangers."

"Alright. Then you teach them how to do it."

"Fine by me, wait. What?" the CEDEF leader did a double take. "Why on earth would I do that? It's a secret!"

"The life of your son depends on it."

Conflicting emotions crossed the once-stoic man's face. With a sigh of defeat, he relented. "Alright, then. I suppose I can let you learn that technique, for my son's sake."

Chris grinned, then turned to Ryuuji and I. "So, the basic property of the sky flame is harmony. We're going to utilize that property, by absorbing opponent's offensive flames, and using them for our own devices. Ready?"

I nodded, and a slight movement from my right told me that Ryuuji had agreed as well.

"Other than the Vongola's Zero-point breakthrough, I think that there's another move that I'd like to teach you…"

To be continued.

* * *

><p>Hey, Tatsuki here, tired as ever.<p>

I must admit, Wragnaroq R. Maggeddon's story The dragon and the clam has provided quite a bit of -coughHELPcough- for this chapter part thing. I know I forgot to add the storm, rain, and thunder training sessions, but that's for the next chapter or something. I'm tired. poop.

reviews=motivation=updates

Unless you're Isabella, who sets deadlines, or beats the crap out of me mentally. Isn't she a wonderful cloud guardian? See, I DIDNT rip Hibari away from you.

Next chapter: more training, a dream, and something oddly tuna flavored. (or so I think.)


	8. Oh the things I go through

Poop. I wanna go home.

* * *

><p><em>Sky… again.<em>

"Okay. So here's how it works. You just put your hands in a triangle, and test to see how fast your flames can go to zero and back. Ready… Set… Go!"

Funny, how only Iemetsu succeeded in even getting his flame to zero and back. Ryuuji and I could extinguish our dying will, but could no longer revive the flame on our foreheads. I guess it was because we lacked Vongola blood.

"Chris. You're an absolute idiot."

Chris scratched the back of his head ruefully, watching Ryuuji and I down another dying will pill. "There's always plan B,right?"

"And what would that be…?"

"The harmony of the sky, a new move I've been working on," he began. I blinked. "Basically, what you do is use the sky flames to render opposing flames useless. To put it very bluntly, this technique is pretty much the same thing as the zero-point break, except it requires a weapon."

"How so?" I asked.

"Well… your sword is naturally cold, right? It lacks flames of any type. Theoretically, with practice, you can use your weapon to absorb the flames, by moving it in the same direction as the attack. Going against the flow damages your weapon, naturally, unless you go directly against the flow… This technique only works on flame based attacks, though…" Chris turned to the CEDEF leader. "Iemetsu, would you mind firing an attack at me?"

"Sure." He let loose a gigantic blast from the tip of his shovel, aimed directly at the Granchio's assassination squad leader. The brown-haired man braced himself, and leveled his gunblade at the epicenter of the blast. As the blow hit, he pulled the trigger, and the barrel began to glow a bright orange as the weapon absorbed the blast. The fullers filled neon, and upon squeezing the trigger again, he fired a massive burst of flame towards the ceiling, larger than the one that Iemetsu had shot at him.

"So that's how it works. Just a test run, but since we can't do the zero-point break, we'll have to settle for that." Chris turned to Iemetsu. "You knew beforehand that we couldn't do the point break. I know that you knew. Why didn't you say something about that?"

"I didn't want to bother. You would have probably tried, anyway."

"Well," I spoke up, running my thumb up and down the edge of my longsword. "We should get started, shouldn't we?"

-at the end of the day-

"PARTY!" Sam screamed, throwing her arms into the air. The cool night soothed our tired bodies. We were hungry from training. The task wasn't getting food, the true task was finding a restaurant that would accept 27 people for a surprise visit.

"Anybody up for pasta?" called Colonello. A unanimous groan answered his question. "Fine, no pasta. Tacos?"

Cue groans.

"Sushi?"

"Actually…" I replied, cutting off the hisses of disagreeable muttering. "That's a good idea. Sushi it is."

"Who would take us in at this ungodly hour?" Theresa looked concerned, eyebrows arched sharply over her eyes. The clock read 11:42. "Most restaurants are closed by now."

"Not that one." Sam pointed to a small restaurant, with what seemed to be a house on the second floor, hidden in between two large buildings. A cloth banner fluttered in the breeze, reading 'Yamazushi' in hand painted kanji.

"I think it looks clean… Let's go." Hesitantly, I ducked under the banner, and looked inside. Unlike the seemingly small interior, the restaurant was actually very roomy, well decorated with wooden tables and chairs. There was a man standing at the sushi bar, wiping his sushi knives clean as he cleaned up for closing time.

"Um…" I hesitantly spoke up. "Is it okay if we eat here?"

The man grinned, uncovering a tray of tuna sashimi. "Alrighty, then. How many people are in your group?"

"27."

He whistled. "Well, I guess its okay. Nobody's here but me, though…" he pursed his lips, deep in thought. "How's about I cut you a deal?"

"What kind?" This man... he seems nice enough, so I don't think he would ask me to… do anything bad. Right?

"Well… I need some help serving up this sushi, so if someone helps me out with the prep, the sushi's on the house."

"WHAT?" Our group was astounded. All you can eat sushi, FREE. At this hour of the night, too. Problem was, nobody exactly wanted to stand for 1-2 hours in a kitchen while everybody else ate. Moreover, the rest of the group turned on one person, staring at them. That person was none other than ME.

"Fine," I groaned. No way could I reject, with EVERYONE ELSE against me. They cheered, then gathered themselves around the tables, leaving me standing with the black-haired man.

"Thanks for helping me," He grinned. "What's your name?" He extended a hand out in greeting

"Tatsuki. Yours?"

"Yamamoto Takeshi. I own this restaurant, in a sense." A light chuckle drifted into the air. "If my dad saw me giving away this much sushi, he'd kill me."

I took his hand in greeting, feeling his calluses rubbing against my skin. That nostalgic warmth, the way I could feel the familiarity of his flame… It had to be him. It all made sense. The smile, the name, the sushi, the flame.

"For some reason… I think we've met before. Déjà vu?" His smile was replaced with a look of concern.

"You can call it that if you want. Its up to you. How do you do this?"

"Ummmm….," he began, scooping up a small lump of vinegared rice with two fingers. "You mold it, like this, then add this, and smear this, and you get nigiri. If you want a roll, you do this, gutt-gutt that, schwa-schwaa some here, bahbahbah, and you're done!" Platters of sushi lay in beautiful arrangements as he continued to explain. "You get it?"

"Sure…?" No. I had no idea what he was talking about, but I think I got the gist of what the yakyuubaka was saying. "Like this?" I began to mold a piece of vinegared rice, in a vague replica of what he was doing.

"No,no You're doing a tuk-tuk instead of a gutt-gutt." Yamamoto moved to stand behind me, and used his hands to guide my own. "Like this," he breathed over my shoulder.

My heart was pounding. Why was he so close to me? Why was my heart pounding? Ugh. This feels so weird. I stepped away from him as soon as the sushi was finished. "I get it now. Thanks." With that, I downed the sushi. What a bad idea. I think I should have washed my hands BEFORE I made that piece, not after.

-30 minutes later-

"Takeshiii…" _BLEARGH. _The porcelain express was forced to bear yet another load from my aggravated digestive system.

"Ne, Tatsuki… I think you need some tea." The Vongola Rain proffered me a mug of steaming green tea. I took it, and forced it down, feeling my stomach settle as the searing liquid began to scald the invading pathogens, as well as my stomach lining.

Sounds of joyous laughter from downstairs floated upwards and pervaded my mind, stabbing me like needles. It was okay that they were obliviously enjoying themselves, but I didn't enjoy hearing it. Sure, Isabella and the others had stopped by to check in on me, but they soon returned to their celebrations. Only the sushi shop owner stayed by my side, but I could sense Ryuuji hanging around on the stairs. Maybe he did like me… but he wasn't so eager to show it.

"Takeshi…?" I looked upwards to catch his eyes. I guess I didn't look so good, with the green pallor my skin decided to take on.

"Nani, Tatsuki? Daijobu?" His forehead was beginning to crease with concern. Even in my half-delirious state, I was more worried about him possibly wrinkling.

"Yeah… Just wondering something… Did you boil that water… with your rain flames?"

He smiled. "Yup. The tranquilization properties of rain flames do wonders for stomach viruses." Yamamoto smiled winningly. "It is working, right?"

"Like you won't believe." An overwhelming sense of drowsiness overcame me, and I slumped against the bathtub. Yamamoto rushed to my side, but resumed smiling when he saw me begin to snore softly.

"Maa, maa, Tatsuki. You can sleep here for tonight."

How could I have rejected his offer? Too much energy had been spent, and I could barely lift a finger in protest. I was worn out from retching my celebratory meal back up, and he lay me down onto his bed, and I slipped ever deeper into a fevered slumber.

I was in a car, driving home in a terrible storm. Oh, how the rain lashed against the windows, attempting to claw its way into my small safe haven. Oh, how I wished to go home. I could hardly wait to rush back into the arms of Alex.

Wait… Alex? My mind had somehow permeated my subconscious. Was this truly a dream?

I finally got home, expecting this mysterious man to be home to clutch me in a tight embrace. The house was dark, unlit, as if nobody had occupied the building for the past week. Wind rattled the windows, but I would rather stay in this house, instead of go back out into the frightful storm.

The house was spotless as usual, other than the occasional magazine resting on a coffee table. But as I approached a windowsill, a particular sight caught my eye. Even though I seemed to remember telling Alex to water the potted plants time and time again, they had withered in the past week, dry sticks of brown sitting in white, sandy soil.

As I continued through the house, I remembered the umbrella still clutched in my hands. When had I pulled out this umbrella? I needed to return it to the closet. On the way to the closet, a white letter was resting on that coffee table, lying on top of a magazine. Printed on it was an address, something about potatoes, or dattero, or horses. Something of the like. I faintly remembered something of how whenever Alex received one of these letters, he would become angsty, often for weeks on end.

The wind continued to howl around the house, causing it to shift restlessly, creaking on it foundation. I snapped back to the relative present, and resumed my journey to the closet. Sweaty hands stretched forward to grasp an ice cold doorknob. Rusty hinges gave way with a creak.

Oh. My. God.

A single scream tore out of my throat as I scuttled backwards, the wet, closed umbrella a weak shield against the horror in the closet.

Inside the closet was a man.

Whether he was breathing or not, I didn't wish to find out. He lay slumped on the closet floor, knees spilling out when I opened the door. Glazed caramel eyes stared blankly at the floor. Spiky brown locks began to droop over time, and his black suit was rumpled. Something on his hand caught the light from a flash of lightning. A ring.

It was a beautiful thing, glittering in the dim light, but it rested on a withered hand. It was reminiscent of a class ring, comprised of silvery metal and a curiously cut diamond. The diamond was see-through, and what lay underneath were the words, 'Vongola.'

I tossed the umbrella into the closet, slamming the door shut on the figure. His legs resisted the movement, but I was determined to erase the scene from my mind. I had to get out of this house.

Feet pounded against wooden floors, as I dashed toward the door. I had to get out of here. I HAD TO GET OUT.

But as I neared that door, Alex entered, his blonde hair disheveled from rain. He smiled. "Hi there, Tatsuki."

"Alex… there's a dead man in the closet."

"Dead man?" His face wrinkled. "I don't think so…"

"Just go check it out." I shuddered, remembering the bloodless body. His clothes lacked evident physical trauma, but I was 90% sure he was dead.

"Tatsuki!" Alex's voice called from down the hallway. "Take a look. There's no body. I think you were just hallucinating."

"Oh really?" Slowly, I made my way to the closet, fearing the worst. However, when I got there, as Alex had said, there was no body. My umbrella lay in the same position that I had tossed it in, but the man was gone. "Alright… I'm fine now."

"Okay. Can you go make some coffee? I'm parched." He reached around behind me to drape an arm over my shoulder. The glittering of a brilliant stone caught my eye, accentuated by his movement. When I saw the source, I blanched, and another horrendous scream burst from my throat. I ran.

On his hand was the ring, immediately recognizable. There was no denying it.

I ran away, into the welcoming warmth of the storm. For some reason, as soon as I stepped into the downpour, I felt as if the rain was embracing me.

In real life, however, I awoke, drenched in sweat. My heart hammered a furious tattoo against my ribcage. I took stock of my surroundings, expecting to see an oblivious Isabella passed out on the bed next to me, but Yamamoto was IN BED next to me, still awake. Like a creeper. I had totally forgotten that I was staying at his house.

He caught me shifting in bed, and turned to me, startled. "Oh. Good morning, Tatsuki." Yamamoto looked tired.

"Ohayo… How long have I been sleeping?"

"About an hour or so. You looked like you were having a nightmare, so I came over and tried to soothe you. I guess it worked." Brilliant white teeth shone in the light of the rising sun.

"Thanks, Yamamoto." A smile appeared on my face, and I went to hug him. I could smell the aroma of green tea from his jacket. "You're a good friend, even though you've never met me before."

"Oh, about that… I remember you from where I met you, to a point."

"Wait… what? How? You were supposed to go into shock if you even attempted to remember, or not be able to remember at all!"

"I guess it's because of… you? I really don't know." The sweet sound of laughter bubbled from his lips. "My best guess would probably be when I touched your forehead."

Oh geez. He's so carefree.

What did I learn from this? Well, for one, Yamamoto was as willing as Hibari to join our fight. That, and the Dattero di Mare had Tsuna.

Wait. Who the hell were they?

* * *

><p>Tatsuki here again. bored as mess, and doing this during english class. YAY.<p>

To be honest, I didn't want to describe what happened with the storm, rain, and thunder guardians. I'm waaay too lazy. That's a whatever. I haven't even thought up of what to do with them. I have a general idea, but… meh. Don't care right now. I have to apply to colleges now. My deadline was set by my wonderful cloud guardian: Homecoming. So here it is, and your omake is on the way. –cough, cough-

Reviews=motivation=updates... does that even work?


End file.
